Forgive Us Our Transgressions
by Lucinda
Summary: Slighlty AU Timing, post S6, pre S7.  Willow and Faith have a talk about the reasons they gave in to the dark side.  QPC 6


Forgive us Our Transgressions  
  
Author: Lucinda  
rating: pg 13?  
main characters: Willow, Faith (Friendship/bonding story, #6 on QPC)  
Quickie Challenge:   
Disclaimer: I do not hold any legal rights to the show or characters of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.  
Distribution: WLS, NHA, Quickie Challenge, Yourmission, Bite Me please? anyone else ask first.  
set after season 6, but before season 7. May be slightly AU.  
  
  
  
She was still trying to figure out how Giles had talked her into this. Into going back to Sunnydale, the place where she'd fallen so spectacularly to the dark side.  
  
Willow didn't want to go back, not now, and maybe not ever. She still felt embarrassed and ashamed to think about what her grief and her loss had led her to do. She'd killed, and destroyed property, and injured her friends. She'd almost destroyed the world.  
  
It really hadn't been her most shining moment.  
  
But here she was, arriving at the Los Angeles airport, having been assured by Giles that 'someone' from Angel Investigations could give her a lift back to Sunnydale. The one place that she'd rather avoid, for a long list of reasons.  
  
That 'someone' turned out to be a young black man with a shaved head holding a sign that read 'Willow Rosenberg'. He looked almost familiar, had he been there when she'd gone to tell them that Buffy was dead?  
  
He'd taken her to the hotel in his truck, dropping her off with a casual "Here we are, I'll help ya get your things inside, and then I have some plans with my crew. Later, Red."  
  
Polite abandonment had been far more than she'd hoped for. She'd half expected to be met by someone, probably Wesley or Cordelia considering the daylight, and lectured about all the ways that she'd failed. To be left alone in the lobby of the once grand hotel...  
  
Except that she wasn't quite alone. There was someone with dark sitting on a couch against the far wall, wearing a dark top and some sort of glossy red pants. Moving a bit closer, she discovered that it was Faith.  
  
"Faith." Her voice trembled a bit. She was still a bit uncertain of the dark haired Slayer. Would Faith try to kill her again? Would she try to fight her if Faith tried?  
  
Faith looked up, her eyes moving over Willow. "Red. Not afraid the big bad evil Slayer's gong to try to kill you? I was pretty sure the Sunnydale crowd had decided that I was a hardened, corrupt killer. Surprised they let you anywhere near me."  
  
With a sigh, Willow sat on the couch beside Faith. "They don't know I'm here. Faith... why did you do it? Why did you kill those people?"  
  
"Finch was an accident." Faith had an almost defensive look in her eyes.  
  
Willow nodded, remembering everything that had been said and discussed about that night. "Yes, but the others weren't. The people that you killed for Mayor Wilkins. I want to know why you did it."  
  
"Why, so you can feel all superior in your white hat position? Still oh so permanently the good girl?" faith's voice was angry.  
  
Willow gave a small, bitter chuckle. "No, I want to understand. I made my own fall, and it was every bit as spectacular as yours."  
  
"What, you tried to sleep with B's boyfriend? She still boinking the soldier?" Faith gave a small laugh, as if she couldn't believe that little Willow could fall to the dark side.  
  
Willow pulled her knees up, resting her chin on one knee. "I got addicted to black magic, almost killed Giles, destroyed his shop, and came minutes away from destroying the world. I know why I did it, but I'd like to know why you went to the dark side."  
  
Faith's jaw dropped. "You tried to... what set that off?"  
  
"After my lover got shot and died in my arms because someone was trying to kill Buffy and nobody seemed to care about my pain and suffering... I decided to take vengeance into my own hands. I killed the guy who shot Tara. Then I wouldn't let Buffy and the others stop me... and the world seemed so full of pain and suffering, I thought I could end it all. No more pain for anyone. No more anything for anyone."   
  
"Oh man... that's harsh. Wait a minute... B, who tried to kill me for poisoning Angel wouldn't let you try to get a little payback?" Faith's eyes had gone wide, and there wasn't any more hostility directed at Willow.   
  
Willow sighed. "That sums it up. But I do have to admit that almost destroying the world was a but much."  
  
"God, Red, that's an understatement. It wasn't anything quite so personal with me. I'd never had anyone close enough that them dying would tear me up inside. Maybe the whole thing was to get someone to care what I did, to get Dick's approval... maybe it was some psycho-thingy about revenge... It just didn't seem like it was worth it to care, you know?" Faith looked stunned. "So, is that why you aren't giving me the 'you evil bitch glare'? Because you did some bad things yourself?"  
  
"Something like. I mean, I did bad things. But I didn't know why you did yours. Unless it was to hurt Buffy... but most of them wouldn't have made much of a personal impact. I'm too curious."  
  
"Yeah... New Year's resolution: No more random violence and killing. Only specific violence and death, and only people and demons who really deserve it. Or Quentin Travers. Angel promised to help hide the body if I get him." Faith was grinning, her whole posture seeming lighter, more cheerful.  
  
Willow grinned back. "If you get Travers, let me know. I can show up and burn the body away. No body, no evidence. Should have remembered that with Warren... and Rack."  
  
Faith just laughed. "You know, I like you a lot better this time around. I'm not quite as wild, and you aren't quite so timid and tense."  
  
"I don't ever intend to be quite that timid again." Willow smiled at Faith. "Maybe this time around, we can be friends?"  
  
"That would be nice, Red." Faith's wistful smile pretty much summed everything up.  
end Forgive us Our Transgressions. 


End file.
